Best restaurants in Clerkenwell

Yes, it’s the First Dates restaurant, but don’t let its TV fame distract you from its serious steaks. Not one for vegetarians, Paternoster Chop House deals in meat, with roast bone marrow among the starters, and steak and kidney pudding, Black Angus rib-eyes, Middle White pork chops and suchlike on the main menu. Hand-cut chips and other essential sides can bump up the bill, although the set menu is particularly good value.

Located on a vibrant pedestrianised market street, Caravan boasts a bright and airy dining room that’s always packed, and an outside terrace (that’s also always packed). Most go for the signature well-travelled breakfast and freshly-roasted coffee from the caravan roastery, but you can pop in any time for its all day food and drinks offering. It’s fairly priced for the area and has plenty of veggie, vegan and gluten-free options.

Slightly more Farringdon/Barbican than Clerkenwell, but worth the short walk south, this smart pub is split into two. Downstairs you’ll find a buzzy bar kitted out with sanded-down wooden tables and plenty of craft beers and organic wines, while upstairs is a more subdued affair, with large windows and mismatched tables and chairs. Food is a cut-above the typical pub offering and backed up by charming service.

It’s all about intoxicating spicing, fine ingredients and subtly matched but forceful flavours at this North African/Spanish fusion restaurant. Whether you pull up a seat at the bar or book a table for plates of Syrian-style lentils, patatas bravas with allioli and other irresistible tapas dishes, we promise you’ll be blown away.

Billed as a ‘Britalian’ restaurant, the kitchen at this striking multi-room restaurant makes its mark by fusing seasonal British ingredients with the hearty traditions of Italian cuisine. From moreish antipasti to cleverly crafted desserts and everything in between, expect brilliance from Clove Club maestro Isaac McHale and his team. Ever-attentive, helpful staff add to the experience that gets top marks from us every time.   

Once a street food stall in Hackney, now a buzzy taqueria in the heart of Clerkenwell, Breddos is all about flavourful Mexican-American food crafted from the very best British ingredients. As well as a changing menu of tacos, you’ll also find a range of British craft beers and wines. Prices are wallet-friendly and it does a mean bottomless brunch on Sundays.

It’s still one of the best places to eat duck and foie gras (as it has been since opening in 1998), but in these low-waste and sustainable times, it now sports a ‘Garden’ section on its menu, which features six veg-focused starters and mains. Elsewhere you’ll find innovative concoctions such as roast grouse with popcorn, Guinness and oyster sauce, and a dessert menu that shouldn’t be missed. Clever wine matching remains a strength also.

Originally a smokehouse, the white-walled dining room at St John is famously spare and sparse, making it an appropriately bare-boned backdrop for belly-busting feasting of the first order. The menu changes all the time, but you can always be sure of finding the legendary bone marrow and parsley salad on it, along with a couple of other signature dishes. This is Michelin-starred dining at its very humblest and we love it.

The strict booking system in place at this revered sushi restaurant might be a little off-putting, but anyone serious about dining here will put in the effort and be rewarded once seated. Kobe-trained chef Toru Takahashi’s take on the high-end artistry of traditional sushi is wondrous to behold while his wife Harumi is the kindest and most courteous of hosts. Definitely persevere in booking this one.

Established in 1790, this pub has been the heart of the lively Clerkenwell community for generations. Lovingly restored, and with a menu from chef-restaurateur Henry Harris that blends French and British cuisine, it will take you from breakfast right through to dinner. The Coach also serves highly drinkable ales and draught lagers from independent or family-run breweries including Timothy Taylor, Portobello Brewery, Thornbridge and Stiegl.

Low lighting and a hip-hop soundtrack are just two of the many things that make this trendy shawarma bar worth a visit. Primarily a walk-in restaurant operating on a first-come-first-served basis, Berber & Q Shawarma Bar is the place to go if you’re craving flavourful North African and Middle Eastern cuisine. From mezze to mains, sugary desserts and cocktails, this petite spot has it all.

Since launching in 1991, The Eagle has maintained a reputation for gastropub food of the best sort. As the menu changes daily and is scrawled on blackboards, it’s never possible to predict what you might eat, but we guarantee that whatever it is will be very good. Arriving early or late is the best strategy when it comes to securing a table, but you still ought to be prepared to share bigger tables when it’s busy.

Morito is tiny and fills up fast (bookings are only taken at lunchtime), but we guarantee you’ll love the food and atmosphere at this stylish little joint. Small plates oozing with rustic Spanish flavours are the order of the day here, so expect the likes of Padrón peppers, jamón Ibérico and patatas bravas among other tapas. The all-Iberian wine list features some splendid sherries and you ought not to leave without trying the gorgeous chocolate and olive oil mousse.

A thoroughly modern enterprise housed in a beautiful Grade II-listed building complete with shiny mahogany booths, The Quality Chop House is ideal for smart business lunches and leisurely dinners. The daily menu displays a touch of wanderlust so diners can expect the likes of Gloucester Old Spot pork chops with rémoulade, or Yorkshire grouse with trimmings. Prices are on the steep side, but the set lunch menu is good value.